How to watch TVP3 Polsat Box + Orange UPC satellite platforms for Hot Bird transceiver

Currently subscribers of digital platforms via satellite Polsat صندوق FundCanal + and Orange can only watch TVP3 Warszawa in SD quality (standard definition). TVP authorities would like pay TV companies to offer 16 versions of TVP3 in HD (High Definition) quality. This will require an investment from platforms in the form of leasing an additional satellite transponder, as the additional stations can be accommodated. The platforms don’t want to hear about it, because together or separately, they will have to incur additional costs. Some customers are reluctant to watch public television and stations related to the ruling camp in general. A few years ago, the nc + platform (today Canal +) had to move TV Republika to a distant place in the list of set-top boxes due to, among other things, the voices of dissatisfied customers.

Efforts by the TVP Board of Directors to increase coverage of individual TVP3 antennas were supported by a decision of the Programming Council for Public Broadcasting. She called on the National Broadcasting Council to enforce the rules must carry and must provide regulation. Accordingly, the basic terrestrial channels (TVP1, TVP2, TVP3, TVN, Polsat and TV Puls) must be included in all paid TV packages. In response to the decision, the National Broadcasting Council revealed to Wirtualnemedia.pl that in the case of TVP3, one version of this station is sufficient. But Polish television interprets the regulations differently. Representative Joanna Lechuca, a member of the National Media Council, praised Wednesday a photo of the meeting with the TVP board of directors. You mentioned that President Jacek Korsky has ideas about TV theater that can solve what you should carry and should present problems.

The cost of renting a transceiver for 4 years is 15-23 million PLN

The Eutelsat website, which includes the orbital position of Hot Bird 13E, used by Polish digital platforms, does not disclose transponder rental rates. If Polsat Box and Canal+ are forced to broadcast all versions of TVP3, they can jointly create additional capacity and broadcast channels with the encoders of both platforms.

Such agreements with Eutelsat are not concluded for a year, but usually for the long term. For example, he is four years old. How much will operators pay for the extra capacity?

– One Hot Birda transponder with a width of 33 or 36 MHz, which with transmission parameters SR 27500 kS / s and FEC 3/4 (DVB-S2 / 8PSK) gives about 61 Mbit / s of transmission flow. Enough to fit the remaining 15 local versions of TVP3 HD in AVC (H.264) video compression. Then, on average, one version of the program will have about 4 MB / s (the sum of video and audio), which, unfortunately, is the norm for some HD channels in our country. It is possible that the quality of the stations can be saved by using statistical multiplexing or by using the more efficient HEVC (H.265) codec. In 2020, TVP paid out more than 7,693,000 PLN. 4-year PLN for a 36 MHz transponder at position 33E for contributions. For orbital position 13E, I would bet Eutelsat wants double or triple that capacity, because it is the most popular orbital site in Poland – says Paweł Piotrowski, satellite technology expert, creator of sat-charts.eu in an interview with Wirtualnemedia.pl.

Thus, the cost of a four-year lease varies from PLN 15.386 million – PLN 23.079 million depending on the impact of negotiations with Eutelsat. Therefore, the platforms will pay annually from 3.847 million PLN to 5.770 million PLN. A couple of years ago, the euro was cheaper, so this amount would actually be higher. The fact that several transceivers have recently become available is in favor of pay-TV operators in possible negotiations.

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TVP can rent a transponder by itself

Telewizja Polska may be intent on showing all versions of TVP3 via satellite before local government and parliamentary elections scheduled for 2023. An alternative to a private interpretation of the regulations it must carry, and which it must provide, is the independent rental of the transceiver. Once, TVP had that capacity on the Astra 19.2E. Nothing is stopping her from renting on Hot Birda. Then she will have to bear the costs herself. TVP3 channels can be supplemented with conditional access systems used by Polsat Box, Canal + and Orange.

This type of practice is used by public service broadcasters in other European countries. – TVR Romania will detect its channels by itself and then the Freesat Romanian channel will receive the signal from this transponder. A similar situation occurs with the Albanian RTSH. Albanian platform DigitAlb also acquires some stations from local public television satellite capacity – Piotrowski Lists. Moroccan public radio SNRT, the Italian RAI has its own transmitters and receivers on Hot Birda (the live broadcast of the main stations). On the Astra 19.2E, the capacity is rented by themselves, among others German ARD, ZDF and Austrian ORF. The signal of most stations is not encrypted. It can be used by both subscribers of digital platforms and owners of individual satellite groups.

In 2020, Polish TV Revenues increased by 330 million PLN to 3.04 billion PLN, and operating costs increased by 120 million PLN to 2.82 billion PLN. The broadcaster’s revenue from advertising and sponsorship fell 12%. to PLN 740 million, while PLN 2.04 billion from RTV subscription and compensation last year (584 million PLN more than in 2019). The company made 198 million PLN net profit.